Memories in Art

~Marcie Rodriguez

Yesterday marked the opening of art exhibit I have been working on in a gallery design class at Imperial Valley College. It features two artists, Terry Arena and Matthew Picon. Terry's exhibit, Symbiotic Crisis: Southeast (Imperial Valley), features beautifully drawn pictures of bees on container lids. The artwork is delicate and precise, and presents a discussion of the destruction of bees in our environment. The artwork tries to make a statement about what bees mean to humans. Matthew's exhibit (which is the one I helped to install), Coyotes, Whiskey, and Fireworks, left a very powerful impression on me. 

Matthew’s work is complex, speaking to the layered nature of growing up in an area like the high desert. I saw much of my own feelings of growing up here in the Imperial Valley reflected in his work. When you look at his art from one direction you get one meaning, and from another, you have a completely different experience. I have some very vivid memories of a trip to the high desert with an old friend, Brian.  He passed away several years ago. Brian was from the High Desert and I was meeting someone there, so we drove up together. We spent the four hour trip talking about what it was like growing up in our respective deserts, both the similarities and the differences.  I thought about this while I was looking at the exhibit.. The exhibit has a touch a sadness to it, (the artist lost a friend in the high desert), but maybe this just reflected my own feelings on those bittersweet memories. 

My partners in crime and best friends,
Lesliee and Sharon, came with me to the
opening. 

Reflecting on this opening I realize exhibits are more engaging when you have some kind of personal connection to what you are viewing. We all bring the experience of our past into the exhibits we see. Coyotes, Whiskey, and Fireworks caused me to reflect on old memories and emotions, which caused me to reflect on the artwork. I know museum professionals think about this when designing exhibits, but how can we push the boundaries? I want to create exhibits with “deep” engagement and even deeper reflection. I don’t know how to do this yet, but I am going to start experimenting.